Archeology first began during the 1920s when Western people like J.G. Andersson discovered remains of the prehistorical past. The three people engaging in excavations and first doubting the truth behind the traditional accounts of the past were Wang Guowei 王國維 (d.1927), Luo Zhenyu 羅振玉 (d.1940), and Gu Jiegang 顧頡剛 (d. 1980). Early Chinese archeology suffered under the permanent civil war (see Republic of China) but was sovereign enough to refuse foreign help for a long time. National proud makes archeology a very important item today.
The interest in the past and the objects surviving the centuries began during the Song period 宋 when scholars collected old bronze vessels.